Chelsea's Didier Drogba proved Arsenal's nemesis again on Sunday when he scored the opening goal in the champions' 2-0 win over their London rivals which stretched their lead at the top of the Premier League. Blackpool also had an afternoon to remember, with a shock 2-1 win at Liverpool, which left Roy Hodgson's mis-firing side in the bottom three.
World Cup hopefuls France salvaged a late 1-1 draw against the United States in their final friendly before the tournament, while fellow title favourites Spain also needed a late oal as they edged past Tunisia 1-0 on Saturday. Elsewhere, there were wins for finalists Serbia, Denmark, Morocco and Australia, while Sweden were held to a goalless draw by Peru.
Holders Chelsea eased into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with a straightforward 4-1 home victory over Championship (second division) promotion challengers Cardiff City on Saturday.
Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba could start their opening World Cup game against Portugal next week, coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said on Thursday.
English Premier League leaders Chelsea could only draw 1-1 at relegation-threatened Hull City on Tuesday as they squandered the chance to move four points clear of Manchester United in the title race. Didier Drogba's free kick shortly before halftime cancelled out Hull's opener scored by Steven Mouyokolo but Chelsea could not force the winner after the break despite late pressure.
Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho's move to Real Madrid has caused panic at top Premier League clubs, as he has set his sights on certain players.
Brazil inflicted France's first defeat since the World Cup when a perfectly executed second-half performance earned them a 3-1 win in a friendly game at the Stade de France on Thursday.
Pre-tournament favourites Ivory Coast were held to a goalless draw by neighbours Burkina Faso in Monday's only African Nations Cup Group B game.
Chelsea secured the Premier League crown in magnificent fashion on Sunday with an 8-0 thrashing of 10-man Wigan Athletic in a party atmosphere at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea's goal-rush was staunched by Stoke City but the Premier League champions maintained their perfect start to the season with a 2-0 home victory.
There are few individual gongs that elude Lionel Messi and he is fast closing in on one that is missing from his trophy cabinet: the European Golden Shoe (www.eurotopfoot.com).
Bookies have placed Premier League leaders Chelsea as the new clear favourites with 3-1 odds to retain the FA Cup following Sunday's fourth-round draw.
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney claimed his second award of a remarkable season on Friday when he was named Player of the Year for the first time by the Football Writers Association.
Having opened the defence of their English Premier League title with a 6-0 thrashing of West Bromwich Albion last week, Chelsea now face the team they beat 8-0 to secure the crown three months ago.
The list of candidates to win the 2009 Ballon d'Or award was reduced to 10 men on Sunday, with Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi the overwhelming favourite.
Chelsea's ace striker Didier Drogba's agent has revealed that he is in talks with Manchester City over a 20 million pound move.
Diogo Jota and Joao Felix both scored their first international goals in the second half before Bruno Petkovic pulled one back and Andre Silva then added a fourth.
Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba was named African Footballer of the Year on Thursday, beating Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o and Ghana's Michael Essien for the 2009 award.
Images of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Samuel Eto'o are still festooned on posters all over South Africa -- but sadly for them that's their only involvement as the World Cup reaches its final stages.
Ivory Coast convincingly beat North Korea 3-0 on Friday, but the comprehensive win was not enough to prevent the Africans from going out of the World Cup.
Ivory Coast need to score a hatful of goals against North Korea to have any chance of reaching the World Cup second round although coach Sven-Goran Eriksson warned they could not attack with abandon.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka, the last two winners of the World Player of the Year award, have been included in a FIFA shortlist for this year's accolade. The 23-man shortlist was drawn up by FIFA's Football Committee and will be voted on by the captains and head coaches of the world's national teams with the winner to be announced on December 21.
Ivory Coast captain and key striker Didier Drogba, who fractured his forearm 11 days ago, said he was ready to be included in the starting lineup for the match against Brazil later this week.
Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba will decide if he has recovered sufficiently from a fractured elbow to play against Portugal in their World Cup Group G opener on Tuesday, said coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Chelsea overcame a resilient Portsmouth to win a dramatic FA Cup final 1-0 at Wembley Stadium on Saturday and achieve their first League and Cup Double.
Wayne Rooney's glittering season continued when he was named English soccer's players' player of the year on Sunday.
Holders Chelsea beat Aston Villa 3-0 to sweep into the FA Cup final for the third time in four seasons on Saturday and keep alive their dream of a first FA Cup and League double. All three goals came late in the game with Didier Drogba breaking Villa's resistance after 67 minutes before Florent Malouda (89th) and Frank Lampard, deep in stoppage time, gave Chelsea an ultimately comfortable victory.
Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has been handed a two-match European ban after being sent off in the Champions League defeat by Inter Milan at Stamford Bridge earlier this month, UEFA said in a statement on Tuesday.
Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has been handed a two-match European ban after being sent off in the Champions League defeat by Inter Milan at Stamford Bridge earlier this month, UEFA said in a statement on Tuesday. Drogba was shown a red card after clashing with midfielder Thiago Motta in the last-16 second-leg game on March 16, which Inter won 1-0 to go through 3-1 on aggregate.
Didier Drogba scored twice to lift Chelsea to a 4-1 victory over West Ham United on Saturday and back to the top of the Premier League while Arsenal shadowed them with a last-gasp victory at Hull City.
Didier Drogba scored twice on his return from a three-match European suspension as Chelsea drew 2-2 at Atletico Madrid to seal their place in the knockout round of the Champions League on Tuesday. They were joined in the last 16 by Manchester United, Porto and Girondins Bordeaux, although four-time European champions Bayern Munich are on the brink of elimination after losing at home to the French champions.
Didier Drogba scored twice on his return from a three-match European suspension as Chelsea drew 2-2 at Atletico Madrid to seal their place in the knock-out round of the Champions League on Tuesday. They were joined in the last 16 by Manchester United, Porto and Girondins Bordeaux, although four-time European champions Bayern Munich are on the brink of elimination after losing at home to the French champions.
'But he is someone I really appreciate, I'm happy for him.'
Chelsea's ace striker Didier Drogba has said there is no guarantee that he will stay at the club for the rest of his career.
Chelsea's defensive frailties were exposed again on Saturday when they gifted Aston Villa two goals from corners in a 2-1 away defeat, their second loss in three league games after they had won their first six.
Chelsea moved to the top of the English Premier League after beating Arsenal, two points ahead of Manchester United.
First-half goals from Didier Drogba earned Chelsea a 2-0 win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, securing them a return to the top of the Premier League, two points ahead of Manchester United.
With no clear sense of direction being set by Deschamps' selections, it may be up to the players to find their own way to deal with Messi.
France will look to boss the midfield in a bid to limit supply to the lethal 31-year-old, who has struggled to impose himself in the tournament.
Chelsea players Didier Drogba and Jose Bosingwa have been charged with misconduct by UEFA after ugly scenes at the end of their Champions League semi-final against Barcelona on May 6. The European governing body has also brought disciplinary proceedings against the Premier League club for the improper conduct of their players and the throwing of missiles by their fans.
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